Chains
by Malorak
Summary: My new Project. I really hope, I can improve with this Story, as I got told that I actually do, which keeps me writing on : "A spell can cause alot of trouble. Even if it doesn't directly affect you. Or just by a little bit. It can even cause you to get into ALOT of trouble. Even make you go to prison. I know what I talk about, I've experienced it, so stay a while and listen
1. Chapter 1 Awakening

Chains

Chapter 1 Awakening

I slowly open my eyes…As my head hurts terribly. You could say, that I, quite frankly, don't remember anything.

It feels like something hit my head, something hard…Ouch…Yes, it must have been like that, even though I can't prove it.

I am, anyway, able to prove, where I could be.

Let's see…A dark, completely made out of stone room, only lit up by a few burning torches. The scent of rotten flesh comes to my notice, as I see some bones lying in a corner, together with chains.

And I just noticed…I am in chains…So…Is this here a prison of some sorts?

The chains are on my behind legs and my front legs, I can't really move, but I'm sitting so it is actually not that bad.

Even though…Why in Celestia's name am I in a prison? I mean seriously, I usually don't get into any fights, nor do I steal…Why would I be imprisoned?

Now that's just great, my brown fur is getting very dirty from these chains... Well at least my light brown mane didn't get dirty.

I'm not a Pony who cares about getting dirty or not, but I also don't roll around in dirt. I have a common sense for that.

I hear someone coming, the steps echo through the cave and the fire of the torches on the other side of the room is moving, as a pony, completely hidden in a brown cloak, comes closer.

As the stallion stands in front of me, I play dead…Or to be more precise, I play sleeping.

"Now to get you to magic chains as well, before you get any silly thoughts." A pretty squeaky, yet threatening voice says.

"This should keep you in here for a good and long time. I don't know how long you will survive, but I got to say, that you won't see much from your home. If you do, you will have about one or two years of freedom and then die of elderness, ha. Suits you well, fool."

I may not seem like it, but I could easily turn my silly thoughts into silly actions. The chains are pretty thin, but not so thin that they would be able to be broken apart by anypony. He probably just put those on in case I awake before he got a better imprisoning mechanism onto me.

To be honest, I would never do anything as stupid as this, or even something that brings me to jail, and I will find out what the hell happened, but for now I got to get rid of this guy before he puts me away forever.

My sense of freedom takes the better of me…

Just as he moves closer to me, I can feel my heart pumping harder and harder.  
I only got this one chance, so I better use it right now.  
He just wants to use his magic channelled by a white beam through his horn, which is also hidden underneath the cloak, as I break free from the chains with my behind legs, and jump onto him, landing on top of him, using my every leg to keep his blocked.

"I am sorry, but I got to do this."

I am not a pony who just kills. This is pure self defence, really! I use the chains I didn't break from my front legs, push them onto his throat as he makes weird choking noises. I look away, as this doesn't suite me at all.

It takes about one minute until he finally settles and stops breathing. I then easily break free from the chains and move his body into a corner.

I…Will just not remember this. Everything is alright.

"Oh…Thank Celestia." A very exhausted, female and weak Voice said.  
This came from my left so I turn around and see another prisoner: A Mare, a unicorn. Her fur is red and her ruffled mane is brown. She looks very tired, and is chained up in a lying position.

She looks like she has been through hell.

"No need for thanks, I didn't intend to do this…Why the hell do you look so…Well, you know…"

"I do know that my appearance may not appeal to any pony…And I may not look like it…But I'm fine."

The only thing that is fine about her is her horn. She has wounds all over her body, her fur is red, and some parts of it are even redder than others. There is only one thing that overshadows her heavy injures: The way she is imprisoned.

She looks like she is normally chained down, yet a green gloom glows on from the metal.

Are those the magic chains this guy talked about? Didn't he talk about years of imprisonment? And…More important…What is a normal and polite unicorn like her doing here?

"It may sound a little awkward, but why are you here?"

She turns her head to one of the torches that lights up the cave, as it flickers, her eyes slowly close and she begins to speak.

"I was in need of an assistant and searched for a strong pony to help me finish a very powerful spell, for which I needed heavy items. I can't carry those, not even with my transport magic.

So I looked for an earth pony, as they are known for using the magic power inside their body for physical strength, speed and agility, to help me, and it happened that you were in need of a job.

We moved to a hill, not far away from Ponyville, as I started to plan everything. The spell was supposed to help my Grandmother and heal her from her curse, so I tested it on you. It was an empowering spell.

Everything went…Well, not too exciting. A huge, blue light emitted from the middle of it, as you started to fade in the bright shine.

Suddenly, the whole mix became unstable and exploded – even though, it didn't do anything.  
We thought of that.

Celestia soon found out what happened, as she managed to locate the crazy power of the spell. I've clearly overdone it with the amount of blue Chyant Powder.

You see…At first, it doesn't look like anything happened to you, but actually you are much stronger than you were before. You can't lift houses or anything, but you broke those chains like it was nothing."

She opens her eyes, looking directly into my face, as her expression seems very empty, if not blank.

"And I thought those chains are thin."

"No, they are actually standardized and regular. The power of this spell was so insanely high, that she said it would be far too much for a unicorn without any permission to just test out on somepony. Since we experimented with such strong magic, we are now here."

I am a little astounded by how few I can remember, but then again we have been hurt a lot.

"And the wounds on your body, what is with those?

"Speak for yourself, but I will explain this too. The magic turned you a little bit aggressive as you attacked the guards, which had to calm you down. I tried to help you, but it didn't turn out so well for us."

Long story short, we messed up a testing of a spell and now I'm stronger than usual, and because of this huge break of the laws of magic, we are imprisoned forever. Now this is one big pile of stupidity.

"This is ridiculous. Why would they keep us away for so long?"

"The spell wasn't allowed, okay?

Well, you got us free"

"Of which I am not proud about how I did it."

"If moral becomes freedoms enemy, give it up. You did the right thing without being sure about it."

"Is that so? Well, how do I get you free then?"

She avoids my sight, as she sadly moves her head to the side.

"It won't be as easy as you may think. You either need the creator of the chains, who you just murdered, Alicorn magic or…"

"Could you finish your sentence? The first two aren't options at all, since I wouldn't expect Celestia, Luna or Cadence to help a prisoner, and necromancy isn't possible."

"Well, legends once spoke of an ancient artefact, yet made of great but lost technology of ancient times.

It is said to break any kind of magic, even the one used by royals, ancient magic and also…Prison magic."

"This artefact sounds fitting for the plan, and like it would get the job done. But this also sounds like its hidden far away so that no pony could get it without a lot of work, right?"

She opens her eyes.

"It is nothing that isn't possible, as it is rebuilt able. I know how and what we need…If you could…  
I interrupt her, as she speaks. My eyes widen, as I take a deep breathe:

"I may be free… But to be honest I can't just let someone starve here. Okay I will help you...But how can I get out of here, so I can get the needed stuff?

"The place is quite small, only two turns around the corridor and you're free. The colt who you got rid off was the only guardian of these halls."

"Well…I would go out and search for those tools I need to get you free, but we got more important problems. The corpse has to disappear. Then, we need some supplies, as this could take a while right?"

She let's out a little smile.

"I like your ways of thinking, first things first yes. But we also need to write reports every day, as the police station would get curious whether everything's fine or not. He used some kind of magical sending system, comparable to the letter sending of a dragon."

"Okay. I will search for a way outside, and then come back and look at this messaging thing. You just stay here, okay?"

She looks at me with a serious face. I forgot.

"Oops. Eh…I will be right back. By the way, a few things bother me…How do you know about this messaging system?"  
"Well…"

"Also…you said first things first right? How comes I don't even know your name yet?"

Her tummy makes noises, as she blushes.

"Ahem, I've seen him use it as I got here…Also, I will tell you my name as soon as you return with some food, since we will have all time for small talk then."

I turn around, as I make my way to the exit. Even though I may be free, I feel with her…And somehow, I feel very bond with her. Did she skip some things and lie to me? Are we maybe even friends? Maybe she doesn't remember anything as well?

All I can think of clearly is now, that I need some food and will have to do my best to get rid of those Chains.

It's…

It still hurts.


	2. Chapter 2 How to get a job

Chapter 2

I follow the cave path, enlightened by fewer and fewer torches, as I go on step by step. A few water drops fall from the ceiling and hit my nose, and underneath the spot I got hit is a little puddle, which I avoid.

I move on, and turn around left, as I see something bright, which seems brighter than the torches, which have become almost obsolete and aren't used near this source of light: I have found the exit to the cave.

Funny, as I thought this here would be much bigger. This means…Our cave is just one little prison? Are there more? Or…Are we the only ones? Well, time to find out.

I move outside and I'm speechless: I can see all of Ponyville from here, which means…Oh god; I stand on a huge mountain! This cave has been dug into the mountain or is natural and has been expanded to a prison.

But as I look around and think about it being a huge complex of hundreds of caves…It is just this one…Does this mean we have been in a special imprisonment? And does this mean, we have been judged for eternal chains or even death penalty?!

Geez, what have we been doing to earn that? Then again, it was forbidden magic, so this might be justified…Well…Justified like in "An eye for an eye", right? Pah. That is some black and white thinking.

But I have more important stuff to do then gazing at the beautiful sights of Ponyville as the sun stands on afternoon, probably around 3PM. It stands right above a farm, Sweet Apple Acres if I remember correctly. Maybe I can ask someone there to give me either food for nothing, which I highly doubt as they are very nice, yes, but they're also very lawful and honest workers and believe that hard work can solve anything.

They'll probably want me to work for them in order to get any kind of payment, whether it's direct food or bits.

Looking on, I see some scenery aside the city.

A forest, Everfree Forest I suppose. Yes, I can see the crazy shape of the different trees. Would a forest help me at all? Well I could pick some fruits or vegetables but since this is no ordinary forest, the fruits and vegetables aren't edible. So, looking back to the city, I don't think there is something else that will get me a job faster than just well...Apple bucking.

It actually seems like the right season for that. It is, however, pretty hot, which brings me to the conclusion that it should be summer.

As I am pretty strong, and got this buff from…Whoever she is, I think this wouldn't be a problem. So destination: Sweet Apple Acres!

I look around, to the left, to the right, and then notice the shape of the mountain's road being very unnatural: A spiral-shaped path leads down about two or three times around the mountain, and then a straight path down connects it to the grassy fields and the road that leads to Ponyville.

I move down, going while in thoughts.

Because now that I know a little more… I got more new questions than I got answered.

First off: Who is she, anyways? And can I trust her? She seems to be hiding something from me…Were her intentions all that good? Is she lying to me?

But I probably think too bad about her…We sat in the same boat, so we leave it together…Even though I just left it by that…But that doesn't matter, I will come back and save her from it and then we are both free.

As I move on and start walking down the road to Ponyville, I come to think about some other things: What did I do, that I needed money? Did I…Get fired? I do, however, remember being a cook, and being a pony who does exercise in his free time.

Also, I am reasonable and usually I try not to mess up…So what did I screw up, that I need to work for someone just for some bits?

I guess time will answer all of this, and I shouldn't ask myself so many questions.

I finally get to Ponyville, the southern end of it to be precise. The little path ends short before the main road, which seems kind of odd…Why wouldn't you combine the roads?

Moving on, I notice that I've almost reached my destination: Sweet Apple Acres.

Since they need to buck those apples, they usually take every help they get. With a little luck, I should get some money in no time!

Looking around, I can see no pony in front of the grey and brown barn; neither can I see any pony in front of the red house.

I should probably just knock on the door and ask right away…Then again: Do they trust strangers? I mean, Applejack, one pony of the Apple family, is of the mane six. She is pretty much a celebrity. It wouldn't be too strange if I knew her, but since I study and exercise a lot in my free time, I never really talked with any of them.

Well, the earlier I ask, the earlier I got my answer.

I knock on the wooden door and I can hear someone coming down a wooden staircase. Seriously, is everything here made out of wood? As I wait, I take a look around: Wooden carts for transport purposes I guess, wooden fences, wooden houses, wooden everything!

My to be honest very platitudinous thoughts got interrupted by the opening of the door, which revealed an orange mare's face.

"Howdy there, how can I help you?"

"Good day, if I may introduce myself, my name is Silver Mind, and to say things short: I really need a job now."

She raises an eyebrow, looking curiously in my eyes

"Oh well, that shouldn't be a problem, but why do you 'need it now'?"

I move my eyes into the bottom direction, looking crestfallen

"The urgency results of my loss of mine."

She stops for a second and seems very confused

"Eh, what now?"

"I lost my job."

"Oh, sorry for that…Well, we can always need someone to buck some apples, you can help us with that, if you need money."

I look up, and answer her question

"That would be very grateful."

She points into the house, and starts to explain:

"Alright, Silver Mind we will go and see Big Mac, he'll tell us what's to do today."  
…My guess would be Apple bucking, but hey, that's just me.  
We move into their house, which looks a lot nicer from the inside than the outside:

Many items decorate the walls and the furniture such as flowers, pictures, paintings and so on. They are all simple, yet they make everything look far more comfortable.

The furniture itself is mostly made out of wood, as well as the walls and pretty much everything else. We move through the pretty narrow and short corridor and get to a corner which leads to what seems to be a kitchen with a table and 3 ponies surround it. I seem to have interrupted their meal.

A red stallion, which I think is her brother, a small filly with a red mane who has no cutie mark, and an old green mare, who I think should be the righteous owner of this place. She also is the first to speak:

"Hello there, my dear, who is your friend?"

Applejack asks right away:

"Well, his name is Silver Mind and he needs some bits, so I thought he could work a little here for the standard wage"

She looks at me, but keeps sitting

She then turns her head back to Applejack and nods with a smile

"He looks like he can weigh something, so why not? We can need all the ponies we can get for apple bucking. You can start right ahead, Big Macintosh over here will show you the area you will buck."

She points over to the red colt, as he nods and says:"Eeyup."

"Alright, I will finish my meal, just follow Big Mac." Applejack says, as she sits down next to her sister."

A few moments later, I and Big Mac arrive at the fields which are bigger than I'd have imagined. Huge amounts of apple trees everywhere I can look. I seem to have forgotten, how much land they own. Also…How?

"So…How does this whole apple bucking thing work? Do I pick them each, or what?"

He goes up to a tree on the right of us, under which stands a bucket. He simply kicks it and all apples land inside the bucket.

"See? It's simple. Want to try?"

I stand there with an opened mouth, not quite understanding how this works out, but I am willing to give it a try.

I move to a tree on the left of us, which seems a little smaller than the others. I don't think I can do it that easily, but one can simply try, which I then try.

"Eh…Ok."

"Just kick as hard as you can."

I put everything I got into the kick, and I succeeded my task but I've kind of overdone myself: The apples land in the bucket, but my hooves get stuck in the tree.

"Ehm…Well, the apples are in, aren't they…Hehe…He…"

Big Mac seems very surprised, and he stares at me with wide open eyes and an open mouth. He needs a few seconds to realize what just happened. At the same moment, I rip my hooves out of the holes I kicked into the tree.

"Okay…Next time, you should do the same, but with less killing-our-trees okay?"

I blush a little as I simply nod.

I then tried myself at another tree, and had to find the right strength to not knock the bark or the tree away, but still get the apples down. It takes me about 5 kicks to get it right, but then I get to handle it.

Big Mac watches me buck about 10 other trees before he speaks again, with a serious face this time.

"Alright, now that you got it right, you should be finished in no time. I can count on you, right?"

"Yes of course."

I then commence to buck the other trees. This could take a while, I guess.


	3. Chapter 3 As the sun sets

**_Chains chapter 3 – As the sun sets_**

So...Finally, after five hours I am done with the trees. Yes it is simple, but it gets very repetitive and boring after the first dozen of bucking. I don't think, this can be exciting to anypony in equestria.

I walk down another way which leads me to a small hill with a tree on top. I turn around as I can see the left apple farm and also A beautiful sight to behold: The sunset as it goes down behind the mountains. I sit down for a second and enjoy this moment.

The wind blows gently through my mane, and the smell of fresh cut grass is giving me warm feelings about summer. "It's still the simple things in life which makes it worth living." I talk out loudly.

"Eeyup. Beautiful, isn't it." A female voice says.

I turn around and recognize the orange mare with the blonde mane, Applejack.

"I didn't even hear you, what brings you here?"

She closes her eyes and smiles, as she replies:

"The same thing that makes you stop working. I come here every now and then to see the sunset."

"I-I wasn't stopping, I am finished!"

She looks surprised and replies:

"Seriously? That was a whole days work...Not bad, I gotta say..."

"Thanks...But what exactly brings you here now?"

"The sunset, silly. I already told you, didn't I?"

She lets out a brief sigh.  
"It always reminds me of life."

I am confused...What does she mean by that? "...Could you explain that?"

"Life is portraied as a cycle, isn't it? Night and day are also a cycle, and they never end. We all will come to an end, of course, but when life is a cycle, won't the night end and the sun rise for another day?"

...Wow. My chin falls down, but as I notice that, I quickly get a hold of myself. Applejack is hiding another personality underneath her farm-mare type of character?

"The same goes for what we do. We plant plants of all sorts, they grow and they wither just to grow again another day, right?"

"Eh...Yes, right."

Stunned by her symbolism, I can't say anymore than this. I really didn't expect her to appear here, and I expected her to philosophize about sunsets to a much fewer extent.

"I expected you to actually grasp what I try to explain, yet you still have the emotion to understand, I felt it as I saw you for the first time.

There aren't much ponies around to which I can actually talk about stuff like that. But I saw by your formal manners and ways of speaking that you aren't the typical pony.

Also...You seem to have something to hide. You mind to talk about it to me?"

Wow. The newspaper wasn't lying when it titled her the element of honesty, was it...

"To make a long and not even by myself understood story short, I need the money to buy food for...A friend."

She looks into my eyes with an interested look on her face, and asks:  
"So, you're helping somepony out who can't work for himself?"

"You could call it that, yes. Also not him but herself, my friend is female."

"Oh my, sounds serious. Is she alright?"

"Yes, but I need the money for food for us, for survival."

"Alright then, I got your wage here." She reached over and gave me 129 bits

"Wow, 129 bits for only 5 hours of work? Thanks alot!"

She smiles at me, and just nods. "No problem, just keep up the good work. We can still need help in the farm, repairing and stuff. You ought to help us out, if you want the money."

"Of course" I reply, and we sit there for about half an hour just looking at the sunset, as it finally is all over: The sun is behind the mountains.

"Well, I'll go back. It's getting dark, and at night it can actually get very cold even though it's summer."

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow then."

Now that the sun has set, I should hurry as there won't be much time left to buy anything. I got some bits which will be all I have for the week, but that will be more than enough. I just hope for some answers from...Eh...Right. No name said until now.

A short delay later I finished my shopping: Some tomatoes, lettuce, a dozen potatoes, a package with bread, milk, some flour, a pack of butter, peas, a barrel filled with water, some plates and glasses, a Pot-Over-A-Campfire-set9001™ and I got some sleeping bags for a cheap price from a shop for sleeping bags which I somehow didn't notice before.

It isn't a real bed or anything, but everything's better than rock ground. Even though I bought all that, I still have 35 bits left to use for food in case we run out.

I transport all of this in a wagon which I found beside a house next to their trash. They wanted to throw away a fully working wagon, even though it may be a little old, why would somepony do that? Oh well. I also picked up some wooden planks and some flintstones, which lay down right next to it. Now that's convenient.

On my way up the mountain, I can see no sunlight anymore. The night has come. I make my way up the spiral way, accompanied by the moonshine. The wagon isn't too heavy, infact it is very light.

I finally reach my destination, and I'm lucky: The entrance and the hallway is big enough for me to just go with the wagon inside. I pull it inside and see all the torches and can smell that disgusting scent again. Also I see her lying on the floor, shivering a little.

"I'm back. Sorry that it took me so long."

"I-I'm fine. Tell me...What did you bring? That wagon looks like it's filled with...With..."

I see her being very exhausted and almost starving from hunger and thirst...She has to eat first before she talks anymore.

"You seem to be in a miserable state. Let me help you, just let me get something."

I go to the wagon, pick up one of the sleeping bags and tell her to stand up. She does, even though only barely as her hooves seem tired. I then put the sleeping bag beneath her, so she has it a little more comfortable.

I then put away all those bones and what I believe is a bag of...Something, I don't think I want to know what it is, and just throw it off the mountain on the other side of the way. I hate untidy rooms, yuck.

Finally, I pick out some of the tomatoes and lettuce and make a nice salad for both of us.

"Alright, it took a little but here you are. I hope you like tomatoes."

I then turn around, get the wooden planks, some stones around it and the flintstone and create a small campfire. I put up the Pot-Over-A-Campfire-set9001™ and put the potatoes in, together with some water.

"It certainly isn't my favorite food, but thanks...I'm starving."

She then slowly eats up her salad, but gets faster and faster the more she eats. As she finished up half her plate, she ate the other half in one bite.

"Sweet Celestia, this was so good...Thank you so much, I thought I would die a hungering death on those chains. This was probably the best salad I ever had...And I don't even like salad!" she then drinks from her glass very quickly.

"I don't want to be rude or anything...But do you have more?"

I giggle a little, as I am also hungry, I haven't had any salad anyways.

"Ofcourse, let me just get the main course."

I get the potatoes out of the water, and put the water into a bowl. I then melt some butter with milk and flour, thus creating a white sauce. I stir the sauce a little, and put it over the potatoes and voila – Potatoes with white sauce.

As I turn around, I can see her brown mane shaking as her head is aswell, awaiting more food. How long has it been that she hasn't eaten properly?

"Done. Here you go, just care it's -"

Just as I want to say hot, she bites into it and burns her tongue

"HOT! Ouch my tongue!"

"Yes...I was about to say that. You need to blow on it a few times, the sauce will cool down the whole food when you do. Like this."

I blow three times on my plate and the little...Eh...You know, that little cloud that appears above your food when it is too hot? That. It disappears and my food is edible now.

"Go ahead and try it for yourself. Three time's the charm here."

She does as I showed her and then carefully moves her head down to the plate. She slowly takes her first bite, and her hurt frown turns into a joyful smile. She then eats everything that's on the plate, including the sauce. She just licks every little trace off of it.

"Oh my...Such masterful taste, like I have bitten into a piece of heaven...How do you call this masterpiece?"

"Potatoes with white sauce."

"You need to show me how to - ...Wait a second. I'm forgetting something once again. Am I forgetting...What did I forget? Tell me!"

She looks at me with a serious face, shouting out as it everything changed from one second to another.

"You...Wanted to tell me about how we ended up here, and what and why...Basically, everything about this whole situation...But first off..."

"First off what?"

"Who are you?"

_To be continued_


	4. Chapter 4 Identification

Chains 4 – Identification

"Who are you?"

The campfire crackles a little and some sparks of fire lighten up the room a bit more as she starts to explain.

"My name is Cyan Clarity. Now you!"

"I'm Silver Mind...Where are you from?"

"I am a unicorn from Canterlot, and like I told you – I tried to help my mother with a forbidden empowerment spell. A pony with low physical powers like somepony who is old would turn into a normally athletic pony."

She turns her head away as I interrupt her with a straight face:

"And a normal pony would gain super strength, like I did and you needed somepony to test this on, right?"

She looks at me again and talks on.

"Yes, but it doesn't seem to bother you at all that I misused you so flagrantly. Aren't you upset?"

I giggle a little, and hear another crackle in the fire, it seems like the wood was soaked when I got it.

"Not at all, I mean super strength...Why should I be mad?"

"I got you into all this trouble...The spell isn't allowed for a good reason. It's abuse could be exploited to create powerful warriors that not even an alicorn like Celestia could stop! Because of me we both got imprisoned here...I'm so sorry."

"Don't worry. You did this for a good reason. If moral becomes freedom's enemy, give it up! You did the right thing, even though it didn't help your mother at all yet.

I do have another important question for you, Cyan."

She looks relieved but still curious about my question and asks:

"What is it, Silver?"

"How do we get rid of these chains? They aren't normal, are they?"

She looks away again and seems to be afraid of telling me.

"I already got you into so much trouble, you are a jailbreaker and you helped another prisoner with food and you killed a guardian...Do you really think, you want to get me out of here and get into even more trouble?"

"Well, that's the point. I'm already, you could say screwed, so I should be fine. I could go into jail forever for this already, so whatever. Now commence your explanation of breaking you free, if you don't mind. Your mother isn't fixed yet, now is she?"

She looks at me with wide opened eyes and they become tear-filled

"Silver Mind...Thank you so much."

She wipes the tear away by moving her head down to her left hoof.

"So...First things first: The guardian I had to get rid of is gone missing for a whole day already, won't any higher authority notice that?"

"Well as far as I know, a new guardian is changing the position of the old one every month which means..."

I interrupt her with a downcast voice:

"We have a mere month time to get you out of here and to get as far away as possible. And judging by the look on your face, it will be a close call, won't it?"

She looks gloomily at me and nods.

"Okay, what do we need, and how do we get it?"

"Infact, I don't know. The pony who has cast the spell can normally reverse it, but..."

I down my head a little...He won't be able to remove the spell anymore, now will he?

"That won't be possible...I guess I'll just ask Applejack about it."

Her eyes widen alot, as if something surprised her.

"A-Applejack? I recognize that name...It seems familiar..."

"Yes, she is the Element of Honesty from the Mane 6, you know...Saved the day several times, also she runs Sweet Apple Acres together with her family. You probably know her since she was in newspaper sometimes when she won second place in that sports event and saved equestria twice."

"Probably."

She seems thoughtful. I don't know if she cares about sports, but my guess is that she does read the newspaper.

"I'll ask her out tomorrow when I go to work...Sorry for leaving you here again in this uncomfortable cave, I really tried everything to comfort you."

"You don't have to be sorry, if it wasn't for you, I'd be tortured to death by exhaustion or starvation. I'm very afraid about what will happen next, where should we go after we've broken out, what should we do?"

I think about the questions for a moment, and answer confidently:

"At the moment, I don't really know. I'd say as far away from this place as possible."

As I speak so, a mighty gust blows out the fire and with it comes very cold air. The whole room chills down so fast, that my fur doesn't even feel like doing anything, it just directly affects my skin.

"W-wow, it's getting cold all of a sudden...Applejack didn't lie when she said at night it can get very cool."

I can see Cyan Clarity shiver aswell, as it is getting colder from second to second and she huddles up as she freezes. She looks as tired as before I gave her food. She must still be very exhausted.

"Wait a second." I stand up from my sleeping bag and use it as a blanket for her. She must feel terrible, and actually, it doesn't make sense as I have to work tomorrow...But I can't just let her freeze, can I?

She mumbles something before she huddles up even more.

It can't be helped. I move next to her, pushing my body against hers and try to keep her warm by my body temperature. I don't have any other way of heating her up, as the cold wind would just put out another fire I start and I don't have any cover for it.

She just shivers a little, and then pushes her body more against mine.

The night is long, and the wind lasts for about half an hour. All this time through, I am lying next to a pony who I barely know. I sometimes start to think if all this was right...But then again it is too late anyway...And actually...I don't feel regret or shame in my acts until now. And if I don't, I guess all this was ok...Wasn't it?

As I think, she slowly falls asleep. The wind doesn't stop, but it does get a little tamer than before. It may still be cold, but I think I can sleep now, too.

I could be everywhere now, especially somewhere more comfortable, instead I have comitted crimes, have enough money to buy food and that's it, and am in a very cold cave with her.

But actually, I don't dislike this, not even to a little degreee. I actually am very glad about what is happening...I have the feeling that there will be a lot more trouble than me feeling cold. Maybe all this will fail, maybe we will just both get caught or even executed for what I've done...

Yet I think all this is right. Maybe it's because I've become insane, maybe it's because of her buff...And maybe it's just her.

I don't even know...All I know is that I'm getting tired. I lie down my head as she leans over to me a little more, laying her head on my shoulder. I...Just want to sleep now...I close my eyes, and give in to the slumber.

A dreamless night occurs, I just...Wake up.

I slowly open my eyes. I feel the temperature has risen to a degree which is bearable again, and actually: It is quite hot. Not really suspicious as it is summer.

I also notice that since it is already pretty hot, I guess it isn't an early morning but much rather about 10AM or 11AM...Which leads me to the question...Why is Cyan still lying on my shoulder?  
She opens her eyes as she notices me being awake and says:

"Hey, thanks so much, without you I don't know what would have happened to me. I can't help but be grateful for what you do..."

"It's fine, really! Even though, could you answer me a question?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"Why are you still leaning against my shoulder?"

She blushes a little, and moves her head up, trying to avoid eyecontact.

"Well, it is comfortable, much more than the ground."

"Alright. But I need to make us breakfast now." She nods and raises her head from my arm. I stand up and walk right to the campfire. I put some new planks in it, ignite it with the flintstones, peel and slice some potatoes and put them into the pod.

I turn my head, put a smile on and tell her:

"It won't taste special since it's just some fried potatoes, but it will do the job."

I turn my head back to the pod and watch the potatoes. Half a minute later, my very exciting observation gets interrupted.

"Silver?" Cyan asks.

"What is it?" I reply while minding the food.

"I wondered all the time along...Why do you do all this for me?"

My eyes focus on the flickering fire.

"Why do you help me in the first place? Why didn't you run after you were free?"

I close my eyes and reply:

"I actually don't know. I didn't know you, nor do I know you now, but..."

She says with a high pitched voice: "But?"

"But I somehow have the urge of being there for you. So much stuff happened in such a short time...I lost my job, got arrested, killed someone just for being free, got a new part time job and met you...Maybe all this got to my head. But maybe, just maybe it is more than that."

I turn around, and smile again: "I'm glad how this turned out until now. Anyways, food is ready."

Everything is on the plates and I bring it to her, sitting down on the opposite side of her. She smiles back at me and then looks at the potatoes. She lowers her head and eats a little, then goes on and eats the rest. I do the same and eat up.

I will go to work now. I hope she doesn't feel too bored until I come back.

"Alright, I got to go to work now. I will see you soon."

"Return as soon as you can please...I really liked the company after the two days of being lonely on the hard ground while it was so cold."

she looks at me with a saddened face...I can't help but ask:

"Will you be fine?"

She replies with a crestfallen expression, saying:

"...I guess I will. See you soon" She tries to smile, but I see that she isn't for real.

I make my way to the exit of the room. I can hear the torches in the room burning on and flickering.  
A bittersweet feeling runs through my body – On one side I helped her, on the other side I don't want to leave her like this even though I have to.

But I guess I have no choice. I just hope that the day won't be too boring for her.


End file.
